Title

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?!

Broad Question

What substance will decompose the fruit peels the fastest? (3/30/12)

Specific Question

Which one of the following, water, vinegar, coffee, or orange juice will decreases the weight of orange and banana peels the fastest?(4/3/12)

Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that of the liquids tested, water won't effect the mass of the peels as much as the others. It is also hypothesized that coffee will be the liquids that effects the mass of the peels the most. (4/12/12)

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:

The different substances being tested (3/6/12)

Dependent Variable:

Speed of decomposition (3/30/12)

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

Tested items, amount of substance used, area tested. (3/30/12)

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

substance- A physical matter or material.

decompose- To separate or resolve into constituent parts or elements.

compost- A mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil.

These definitions were found on dictionary.com
(4/4/12)

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General Plan

A science experiment was conducted to test which of a few substances (water, white vinegar, cold black coffee, and orange juice) would speed up the composting process of banana and orange peels.This experiment began by gathering fruit peels, (with the same amount for each test). Once the peels were collected, each of them will be placed in the same environment, (a plastic tupperware). To ensure that the independent variables (the different substances being tested) were distributed evenly, each substance was measured, and evenly applied it to each set of peels. To see which substance composted the peels fastest, pictures were taken of the sets of peels on a frequent basis (every day). Each set of peels will be weighed (in grams) Once the pictures were completed, they will be compared to see which set of peels decomposed the fastest. This experiment started on March 7 and concluded on March 25. (3/6/12)

Potential Problems And Solutions

Mold and infections were on the fruit peels could have been a potential problems. The solution was to cover the peels that were in the containers. (4/4/12)

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

The cause of mold and bacteria in the containers is not breathable like air. (4/4/12)

Experimental Design

(add the correct headings from the experimental design page before beginning)

Resources and Budget Table

Oranges- $3.59
Bananas- $2.60
Orange Juice- $3.00
Coffee- $8.00
(4/4/12)

Time Line

Fri. March 2 -complete design and collection of all materials
Fri. March 2 -run a test of the set up, not collecting data, just seeing if everything works
Mon. March 4 -run first official trials of experiment, collect first data
Fri. March 23 -complete all trials of experiment and all data collection
Mon. March 25 -complete all data analysis; mean, median, range, graphs,
Mon. March 25-30 -complete results and conclusions write up(3/6/12)

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Background Research

-Decomposition is the natural process of dead animal or plant tissue being rotted or broken down. This process is carried out by invertebrates, fungi and bacteria. The result of decomposition is that the building blocks required for life can be recycled. Death and decomposition are an essential part of all life cycles on earth.

-Fruit peels, leaves and other natural waste make up about 30 percent of your garbage.

-Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and soil amendments, and you can use it instead of commercial fertilizers. Using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil’s water-holding capacity.

-It takes a few years for a orange peels to decompose because the earth has to take in the nutrients and decompose the orange peels did you know that if you put a banana peel beside a rose bush or any bush and it will give the bush nutrients and help it grow healthy -A banana skin take roughly 3-5 weeks to decompose depending on the circumstances. the banana skin takes so long to decompose as it contains some chemicals that go into the use of making plastics.

(3/15/12)

References

__http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_does_it_take_orange_peels_to_decompose__
__http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_does_a_banana_peel_take_to_decompose__
http://compostguide.com/
__http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/decompos.htm__
__http://www.ehow.com/how_5673310_compost-banana-peels.html__
http://dictionary.reference.com/
(4/4/12)

Detailed Procedure

1. Weigh each Tupperware and write mass on side of container
2. Weigh each set of peels (20 grams of banana peel, 20 grams of orange peels each cut into squares) before placing it into a Tupperware with
3. Spray 10 ml of each substance onto assigned peels
4. Fit all covers onto Tupperware containers (snapped on)
5. Place all Tupperware’s next to each other in a controlled environment
6. Wait one day until checking each set of peels
7. Take pictures of contents of each Tupperware
8. Weigh each set of peels and the liquid in the Tupperware with them (in Tupperware) and subtract mass of container
9. Record data
10. Write a qualitative observations (color, smell, size, etc.)
11. Repeat steps 6-10 for 4-5 more days

(4/5/12)

Photo List

Images will be taken every other day during the experiment. This will add up to at least 8 pictures. Also they will be taken of all the materials and spray bottles.

Spray bottle
Substances (in Tupperware)
Bananas and Orange peels
Experiment in process
Scale
(3/15/12)

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Results

An experiment was conducted to find out which of a few liquids decreased the mass of banana and orange peels fastest. The data collected from the trials conducted showed that out of the liquids we used (water, orange juice, coffee, and vinegar), water was the liquid that decreased the mass of the peels the quickest.
(4/4/12)

All Raw Data

Graphs

Photos

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Data Analysis

Conclusion

An experiment was conducted to see which liquid sped up the process of decomposing fruit peels. Our dependent variable was the different liquids we were testing (orange juice, water, coffee, vinegar), and our independent variable was the mass of the orange and banana peels that the liquids (dependent variables) were getting sprayed on. Our results show that water decreases the mass of banana and orange the quickest. On the last day of our testing, the mean weight for water was 19.27 grams. For orange juice the mean was 26.83 grams. For vinegar the mean was 27.03 grams. For coffee the mean was 20.03 grams. These results show that by the end of our experiment the peels with water had lost the most weight. (4/3/12)

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Discussion

An experiment was conducted to test which of a few liquids would decrease the mass (in grams) of banana and orange peels. Our question was: which of select liquids (water, orange juice, coffee, vinegar) decreases the mass of banana and orange peels the fastest? The question was able to be answered from the data collected, and from the liquids tested, it was learned that water was the one that over time decreased the mass of the peels that were tested. The peels were massed, and observations were written about their qualitative aspects. Each day the peels were checked, they were massed, and that data was averaged. The conclusion was determined from the mean of the last day the peels were massed. The mean of the peels with water was the lowest, at 19.27 grams.

It was hypothesized that orange juice was the liquid that would decrease the mass of banana and orange peels over time. This hypothesis can’t be supported by the results, because the results proved that water was the liquid that decreases the mass quickest. The results can be explained from research and the experiment by saying that water was a non-acidic substance, unlike vinegar and orange juice which are acidic, and instead of helping mold grow (mold is what composts the peels so that they lose mass) it would kill it; whereas a non- acidic substance, water would not kill the mold, but in fact help it to grow.

From our observations, there is a clear pattern. In our written observations, it is easy to see that as time went on, in some tupperware (with certain liquids) the peels were shrinking, getting slimy, losing color, or growing white fuzzy molds. It was clear that the peels were changing more as time went on. From our data, there was also a clear pattern. As time went on, each time we checked the mass of the peels, they were all decreasing in mass. With some sets of peels, the difference (from one day they were weighed to another) was very big, and with others there wasn’t so much of a difference.

When setting up the experiment, there was a problem of how the change that was occurring to the peels as they were checked would be measured. It was thought that the best way was to simply measure the mass of the peels, and write observations about what changes of their qualitative appearance.

When this experiment was being set up, the tested liquids were going to be applied to the peels each time they were checked. When the experiment started, it was thought better to only apply the liquids once, so the gradual change of the peels could measured, instead of what would happen if the liquids were applied frequently. If this experiment was to be run again, the types of fruit and peels tested would be from a greater variety . For example, an actual banana would be tested, or different kinds of peels (i.e apple, pear). If different substances were tested, that might also end up with more varied results. For example, maybe more acid liquids, more non-acidic liquids, and maybe some oils..

To help control the environment of the experiment, it would be put in an environment with controlled temperature and light. To conduct this experiment a scale (measuring in grams) was needed. A camera is also needed to record images of the peels as the change over time. Background research and information was important as well. In order to make an accurate hypothesis, a basic understanding of the subject is needed.

This experiment design and results could improve the information or technology of someone learning about this question in the future. It could help them conduct a more complex experiment. The knowledge gained through this experiment could be of benefit or use to people or society for mostly farmers. This could be very helpful information and could lead to tips about composting and planting crops. (4/4/12)

Benefit to Community and/or Science

Because of the experiment, it is now known that orange juice should not be poured over compost. Also that water ended up decomposing the peels the fastest, so if somebody wanted a compost pile to loose mass quicker, they might spray water over it.
(4/4/12)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to see which liquid sped up the process of decomposing fruit peels. The dependent variable was the different liquids we were testing (orange juice, water, coffee, vinegar), and the independent variable was the mass of the orange and banana peels. The trials that were conducted involved the dependent variables being sprayed onto the peels, and the mass of the peels being recorded when they were checked regularly. The results show that water decreases the mass of banana and orange the quickest. On the last day of testing, the mean weight for water was 19.27 grams. For orange juice the mean was 26.83 grams. For vinegar the mean was 27.03 grams. For coffee the mean was 20.03 grams. These results show that by the end of our experiment the peels with coffee had lost the most weight. The results from this experiment can be used to help people who are trying to decrease the mass of their compost pile. By learning about this experiment, one could learn that spraying water on their compost pile might help with their problem. After doing this experiment, you should keep your compost wet with water to make it decompose the fastest.